Entire workforce at sportswear company prepares Olympic kit
While world-class athletes will take centre-stage this summer in Beijing, there's another aspect to the Olympics that cannot be overlooked. The 'look of the Games' will be just as memorable as performances on the field. Sportswear giant adidas is contributing to the 'look' by providing uniforms for the 130,000 volunteers, organising staff and officials for the Olympics and Paralympics. It's a formidable task for the company's 1,300 staff on the mainland.
The German company will produce more than 2 million official products, which it claims is the largest ever contribution by a sportswear sponsorship partner. Adidas has also produced a range of Olympic apparel for sale in stores.
'It's a very significant investment, and staff from all areas of the company have been involved,' said Erica Kerner, director of the adidas Beijing 2008 Olympic Programme.
'From product design development to marketing, public relations, production, sourcing, delivery and factories, we are using our full China workforce,' added the New Yorker, who has lived and worked on the mainland for 17 years, and in sports apparel marketing for eight years.
When the uniforms are distributed next month it will mark the climax of a three-year process. Consistency with other design applications across the Games was essential and the uniforms, in either blue (volunteers), red (organising staff), or grey (technical officials), feature the 'lucky cloud' pattern, also used for the Olympic torch. Each volunteer, or staff member, will receive a set including T-shirt, jacket, pants, cap, socks, shoes, waist bag and water jug. 'The volunteers are the face of the Games, providing directions and interacting with visitors,' said Ms Kerner, whose team earned a CCTV sports marketing achievement award for the 'Best Campaign to Launch an Olympic Partnership'. 'The uniforms need to be easily identifiable, and with a youthful and energetic appeal.'
Experience working with other organising committees, such as world soccer's governing body Fifa was important in its selection as a partner. Adidas, whose shoes were used at the Olympics for the first time in 1928, provided the official sportswear for Athens 2004 and will do the same for London 2012.
